XishuangbanNa Residence is a Sustainable Modern Bamboo High-Rise in China

Tokamarch Architects have designed a vertical bamboo high-rise that resembles a traditional Dai village in China. Lamenting the fact that most of the rapid urbanization taking place in cities across the country ignores both aboriginal culture and climatic conditions, this firm relied heavily on both vernacular architecture and local materials to conceive the XishuangbanNa Residence - a modern urban residential complex that exists in harmony with the natural environment.

China’s massive population needs housing, but Tokamarch Architects have proposed that it’s not necessary to construct ugly residential buildings that all look the same. Additionally, they are concerned to ensure that design both respects and elevates the communities in which buildings are constructed. A beautiful part of the country known for its tropical rain forests and aboriginal people, XiShuangnBan Na boasts a series of Dai homes made of local materials such as bamboo and wood. For this high rise overlooking that would overlook the LanCang River, they propose to mimic said homes in a vertical setting.

The face of the high-rise is open but privacy is achieved with bamboo fencing and a slew of indigenous plants. These also contribute to a pleasant micro-climate and provide protection against both sun and wind. Double story public courtyards on a setback platform and aerial gardens ensure a community environment with a green aesthetic. And finally, built using multilayered woods and bamboo, XishuangbanNa establishes an entirely new urban aesthetic that trumps the regrettable concrete trend that characterizes so many of China’s cities.